Documents are often loosely stored in receptacles known as file folders. One common type of file folder, which is also frequently referred to as a hinged folder or a manila folder, typically includes a sheet of cardstock or similar material that has been folded approximately in half about a fold line to define hingedly interconnected front and rear panels. Opening or closing of a manila folder can be effected by appropriately pivoting one or both panels about the fold line. Another common type of file folder, which is also frequently referred to as a pocket folder, typically includes a sheet of cardstock or similar material that has been folded and adhered to itself to define a hollow member including a front wall, a rear wall, a left wall, a right wall, a bottom wall, and an open top. The bottom wall and the side walls of a pocket folder can be pleated to permit expansion of the pocket folder, for example, when in use or to permit compaction of the pocket folder, for example, during storage. Still another common type of file folder, which is frequently referred to as a hanging file folder, is similar in construction to a manila folder but additionally includes hooks or similar mounting structures extending laterally from the front and rear panels to permit the file folder to be hung from a pair of rails within a file cabinet or the like.
It is frequently advantageous for a person to be able to identify the contents of a file folder without actually having to examine the contents of the file folder. For this reason, many file folders are equipped with a tab on which identifying indicia can be placed. In the case of manila folders, such a tab is typically integrally formed with the rear panel and extends either upwardly relative to the top edge of the front panel or laterally relative to a side edge of the front panel. As can readily be appreciated, one difficulty that is frequently encountered with tabbed manila folders is that when such folders are aligned with one another, the indicia on one tab is obscured from view by the tab that is positioned in front of it. One approach to this problem has been to provide a plurality of tabbed manila folders whose tabs are staggered at different locations along the top edge of the rear panel. Unfortunately, however, this approach fails to significantly ameliorate the problem where the number of arranged files greatly exceeds the number of different tab positions.
In the case of hanging file folders, the tab is typically a separately-formed structure that is coupled to a top edge of the file folder. In one type of arrangement, the tab is fixedly mounted on a top edge of the file folder. However, as can be appreciated, hanging file folders that have fixedly mounted tabs suffer from many of the same types of shortcomings discussed above in connection with tabbed manila folders. Accordingly, in another type of arrangement, a tab is slidably mounted on the hanging file folder, the tab being slidably mounted on the top edge of the file folder so as to be horizontally movable along the top edge of the file folder. In this manner, by sliding the tab on the file folder as needed, one can typically position the tab for better viewing. Examples of such horizontally movable tabs on hanging file folders are disclosed in the following documents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties: U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,685, inventor Wyant, issued May 17, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 7,334,363, inventor Hansen, issued Feb. 26, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,383,652, inventor Glasberg, issued Jun. 10, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,598, inventors Bunger et al., issued Jun. 24, 2008. Still another type of tab used with hanging file folders is a tab that is slidably mounted on the file folder so as to be vertically movable relative to the top edge of the file folder. In this manner, by raising the tab on the file folder as needed, one can typically position the tab for better viewing. An example of such a vertically movable tab on a hanging file folder is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2007/0119082 A1, inventor Gilchrist, published May 31, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Although slidable tabs of the types described above provide some measure of improvement in facilitating the viewing of indicia on such tabs, such improvement tends to diminish as the number of file folders increases and the availability of unobscured horizontal or vertical positions is exhausted.
Thus, there is a need for a file folder assembly including a file folder and a slidably mounted tab on the file folder wherein the slidably mounted tab can be placed in a wider range of possible positions.